


Winter tales

by ErisNuiLadyFall



Category: Gaston (Bande Dessinée), Spirou et Fantasio
Genre: Christmas, Friendship, Gaffes, Gen, Winter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-01 18:59:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8634220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErisNuiLadyFall/pseuds/ErisNuiLadyFall
Summary: A collection of stories for the winter. This is my first fanfiction about Gaston, I hope you like it.





	1. Igloo

Somewhere around noon so, Prunelle decided to take a break from writing the article because of the cold made his fingers numb and he was no longer able to write, and portable heater in his office began to smoking dangerously. Tea should warm him up a little.

All through that the boilers were broken. Well, not so much of them was left, because something in them _exploded_. Everyone suspected that Gaston returned to the chemical experiments and in panic from a potential control he threw a tubes with different suspicious substances just anywhere. Lagaffe swore it was not him, but people knew better. And so they were lucky that it wasn't the heating season yet and boilers were cold (what only proved the theory of chemicals).

The worst part was that Monsieur Dupuis refused money to repair heating equipment and editorial staff had to fend for themselves. Those who for some reason have not find any portable devices went so far as to that they used the metal pails as a place to make fire (burn paper garbage).

It reminded Prunelle that he should look at the Gaston's "office" and check out what this oddity is doing right now. After the last extensive redecoration, which took over three floors and the attic, Lagaffe exhausted the limit of blunders by the end of the year.

The dark-haired editor immediately ran to the sixth floor. Behind closed doors came a characteristic snoring. Well of course, he can't work like everyone else!

"Lagaffe...!" roared Prunelle opening the door and scream died in his throat when he saw what has happened with room.

This place, this temple of clutter and chaos... had been cleaned! Or at least was less cluttered than usual. But that was not the strangest thing, because this office has experienced relative minutes of order. Centrally in the middle of room, on an old Persian carpet was igloo. Giant igloo almost reaching the ceiling. There was only one catch; the entire structure was made of old blankets and books from the archive.

"Rogntudju" was only thing that Prunelle was able to say.

"Mmhuh?" from the book igloo emerged disheveled Gaston's mop of hair and sleepy eyes a little under the mop of hair. "Oh, hey, Prunelle. How are you?"

"What...? I, you..." the head editor was still in shock "How did you...?"

"Oh, it was pretty simple" giggled the office boy, pleased that he made something that actually didn't make Prunelle's blood boiling "I made walls of books, dictionaries and chronicles mostly, one on another. A roof's skeleton is made of old pipes and I put news papers and blankets on it. It's really warm and comfy there, see by yourself"

"Yeeeah" Prunelle muttered "And what about a holes? Even normal igloo of snow and ice need to be sealed. What did You use? A paper again?"

"No, I used a snow from windowsill, it's even better-OW!" Gaston gasped when Prunelle's fingers tightened on his shoulder.

"What did you use, say it again, Lagaffe" the head editor hissed calmly.

"Snow, but what do you..." in Gaston's eyes appeared sudden awareness "Oooh"

* * *

_Some time later, this same day..._

"Okay, I didn't think about it, but come on, Prunelle, how many times I have to apologize you?"

"We still have 250 volumes to dry, We will find out soon. Lebrac, ask the girls about one more hair dryer!"


	2. Plants

Since the unfortunate incident with book igloo one week elapsed. In the meantime, Prunelle succefully begged their boss for the money to repair boilers and in the editorial offices was much warmer. Only igloo was where earlier, Gaston didn't want to dismantle it, but at least he no longer shoved snow between books.

Prunelle was working on the article for the next issue of the magazine, when he suddenly smelled a strange scent. It was even a pleasant smell, though evocative of wet earth and old forest. Maybe the girls found some new perfume? It's happened before, when on the market entered a new fashion Sonia, Yvonne, Suzanne, Jeanne and Aimée sometimes came even dressed in the same clothes! Women can be really weird when it comes to fashion.

" _Hello, boss?_ " came the voice of the speaker, which send statements of people who speak to the intercom at the door of the Redaction. " _Lucia's here, I have mail_ "

"It's open, thank you, Miss Bohémien" said Prunelle.

Lucia Bohémien was a twenty-year girl who worked as a courier, since she has failed to pass at the Film Academy. She replaced the previous courier, Louis, after he retired (Prunelle has never seen a happier man, but it wasn't so surprising. If the Gaston's explosions throw something on the street, it fell or on Louis or Longtarin).

When Prunelle heard the knock of the heavy soles on the floor, he knew that Lucia is coming. Summer, not summer, she always wore a heavy military boots.

"So what we have today?" the editor asked without looking up from article, when the courier came to his office. In response, Lucia raised a large, bulging bag (about hauling which Prunelle could only dream), and poured the contents on the desk. It was a gigantic pile of letters, from their neighborhood mostly.

"All of them to _the respectable Mr. Leon Prunelle_ " announced Lucia chuckling under her breath, "And there is a package for Lagaffe"

"What?!" in Prunelle's head lit a red light "Where is my utility knife?!" And he began to search his drawers.

"Easy, boss, I've already checked it" the girl calmed him. "There are a seedlings of _vanilla planifolia_. You know, this orchid, which is giving vanilla to kitchen"

"And why on the earth he needs seedlings of vanilla?" the editor raised an eyebrow.

"I have no idea, boss. Maybe he assumes a plantation" Lucia shrugged "And by the way, it smells here like in the palm house "

"What palm house?"

"Normal. Orchids, carnivorous plants, vines, rotting leaves, fungus, some fruits..."

After the second time that day, in the head of Prunelle lit a red light.

* * *

Exotic plants took a testing ground, also known as Gaston Lagaffe's office. Shrubs and flowers of various species proudly were flexing healthy and colorful petals and leaves to the winter sun, vines wrapped around furniture legs, and in the broom cupboard and cabinet was dryer. Gaston has always had talent to gardening and Lebrac was willing to help him in the cultivation of plants as long as it didn't include a cactus. When Gaston presented him with his new garden project, Lebrac had doubts at first (mainly due to the Prunelle), but eventually was persuaded.

"How do you actually take the cuttings?" the artist asked watering bushes of tea, which branches touched the ceiling, while Gaston prune the leaves for desiccation.

"I have a friend in the botanical garden," Lagaffe said simply inserting leaves to bag next to him. "Sometimes he sends me this and that. He promised to find a seedling of cocoa tree even"

"Seriously?" it sounded interesting for Lebrac, but then the door burst open and in the doorway stood a raging Prunelle.

"Rogntudjuuu!" roared the chief editor for goodmorning. "Palm house! Bloody palm house in bloody editorial offices! Lagaffe, it's exaggeration! This time, it's a really exaggeration! And you, Lebrac..." Prunelle put his eye on the artist, who tried to sneak out from Dangerous Zone "We will talk about this later. I thought that you're more reasonable than this."

Lebrac mumbled something like an apology and quickly ran away. Prunelle again focused on Gaston, who looked at him nervously.

"As I understand cactus and pumpkins are not enough for you," the editor began to scrub the lenses of his glasses. He usually was doing it when he was just tired. "You had to found a tea plantation and spices. You even have a ginger, from what I can see."

"Because I do..." Gaston began rather chaotically explained his actions.

"Just throw it all away, okay?" Prunelle sighed pressing a bridge of his nose., "I don't want to see this jungle in this building"

"Okay"

He tried not to see a very unhappy look on Gaston's face, when he left the room.

* * *

The next day, Prunelle was working on few articles for next issue. The required amendments were minor and the editor hoped that he could end this soon. Then someone knocked on the door. It was Lagaffe with a package hidden behind his back.

"If it's something from your assortment of culinary" Prunelle didn't even look up "do us all this huge favor and immediately send it to Chernobyl. There are specialists in such matters."

"It's not food, it's plant. No, it's not a cactus!" the office boy added quickly, seeing that Prunelle is already getting purple. "That's just ordinary flower"

And he showed a plant to the editor. It was magnolia tree seedling planted in a ball of moss. Prunelle read once about something like that in a gardening magazine. This method reportedly came from Japan and was quite popular.

"I thought I'd give you a gift now, because I know that all these antics near the Christmas tree make you stressed," said Gaston, "Well, and this flower will add some color to your office, don't you think?"

"You... You made it in your office, right? "Prunelle rubbed glasses. The sapling looked healthy. Gaston nodded "Thank you. Really"

Gaston smiled happily, but then in the hall appeared dense, purple smoke, offices were full of screams, and the fire sprinklers were running. At the heads of all in the redaction splashed cold water. Prunelle stared stonily at Gaston.

"It's probably the new perfume... You know, home-made, for girls... I told them don't use too much," began to explain Lagaffe, but Prunelle just shook his head and sent him to shut down these infernal sprinklers.


	3. Lena

"Gaston, what's that smell?" growled Prunelle when Gaston stood next to him in the slightly crowded elevator.

"That's my new shampoo" said calmly the office boy "Really great, I can borrow you..."

"Don't give me that trash," said the editor-in-chief "After years of working with you under one roof I perfectly know how to smell preparations for _animals_!"

Gaston turned pale, confirming Prunelle's suspicions.

"What is this new monster? Capuchin monkey from zoo? Seal from circus? No, wait, I know- a donkey!"

"No, none of these" murmured Gaston fingering his sweater.

"So what, the heck?!" Prunelle put his hands on his hips.

"I'll show you"

* * *

They went into Gaston's office and then Prunelle saw this. It was big, very skinny dog, having something from a shepherd, greyhound (here Prunelle wasn't so sure, because the poor creature was so terribly skinny) and spaniel (fluffy ears). Its right eye was covered with bandage just like the right side. At the sight of Gaston it broke up from makeshift bedding near the desk and ran to the door wagging it tail. Prunelle noted that the gums and teeth of the animal are not in the best condition, and dressings give off an unpleasant odor.

"Easy, it's only salve for burns from the vet," Gaston reassured him scratching the dog behind its ear. "I found her in a garbage container next to the redaction and took her to the clinic. That was two weeks ago, then as I took sick leave, so all in all not lied"

"Next to **our** redaction?!" Prunelle asked in horror. "Rogntudju! Wait a sec. Someone else knows about this?"

"No, no, just you and..." started Gaston then to his office entered Aimée with bag of Royal Canine.

"Hello, Gaston, I have food for our poor, little princess" chirped dark haired secretary girl. Lena barked happily when she saw her "Lebrac promised that he will buy some dog treats for Christmas, after all, dogs also can have nice holiday, right?" and then she noticed her chief "Oh, good afternoon, Mister Prunelle. I... I will finish this raport, okay?"

"Pronto" mouthed Prunelle and looked at Gaston "Aimée and Lebrac?"

"And Miss Jeanne" Lagaffe whispered. His cheeks were red as fresh cranberry. "Sorry, Prunelle, but I knew that You will be angry"

"I'm not. Listen, Gaston, I don't anything against helping an animals" Prunelle sighed "But it's a redaction, not a pet care. Move her to your house or something"

"But she won't bother anybody, I swear" Gaston then made some weird thing with his eyes, as always when he wanted to make Prunelle agree for something. And it worked usually, 'cause Prunelle was more conciliatory than Fantasio.

"Gaston, stop, I beg" Prunelle covered his eyes using his briefcase with documents. Then the dog also joined the fray, using her one eye. Well, it could not be ignored!

"Okay, fine, you won!" the editor capitulated, and Gaston jumped with joy, "But don't let her be around offices when Mesmaker is near!"

"Oui, chef!" Lagaffe saluted, and the dog sat down as for the dogs' competition and barked.

Oh boy.

* * *

Gaston always wanted to make everything better. And Prunelle was completely fine with it, but he preferred that Lagaffe would not fuse this activity with job in the office. Human rights, fine. Animal rights, fine. Ecology, fine. Inventions, fine. But, for God's sake, not here!

While Prunelle was signing reports and pondering Gaston's feats, door handle moved and soon gave way. And she came into the office. Lagaffe's new pet. Her curly fur glistened and grew in places where it was burned, and on her neck was a red collar with a gold-plated medal. She was carrying in her mouth a stack of envelopes, which handed to shocked editor.

"Eeeerrr... Thank you?" gasped finally Prunelle and checked the name engraved on the medal. "Lena. Good girl"

Lena barked, licked his hand and went tail wagging.

Prunelle looked slightly damp envelopes in his hand. No teeth marks, and drying it wasn't such a necessity.

Maybe the dog in the editorial was not such a bad idea?

Then came the shrill meowing and loud barking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the author: I wrote this fanfic because I figured that in the Gaston's menagerie was missing some animal. And because I often hear about animals tortured in my country (I don't know how this look on a European scale). Dog/cat has been drowned, beaten with a blunt object, poisoned, thrown out of a speeding car, buried alive, bathed in acid, thrown into wells, abandoned in the forest and so on. Age doesn't matter, the worst is during the Christmas and vacation resort. Fortunately, some of these poor things survived thanks to human help and found a safe, loving home. I support people who helps them, I condemn the perpetrators and any form of animal abuse.


End file.
